Chris Hauer

How to Promote Your Personal Brand Through LinkedIn

Day in and day out LinkedIn continues to grow with it’s usage and popularity. With more and more professionals and CEO’s logging onto the site, it has become evident that anyone desiring to be an influencer will have to make the platform a frequent visit. Creating a profile and occasionally scrolling through is a good start, but aspiring influencers should take full advantage of the opportunity to create and publish their original content on the platform.

The Breakdown

Creating content can build trust and increase organic engagement within your growing community. Creating ideal content is known to be a terrifying task, and for many the thought of becoming an influencer brings along fears and doubts of capability. Knowing what to post can be hard, and knowing how often to post it can be even harder. To help with this process, you have access granted to the LinkedIn Influencer On-boarding Guide. Below you are going to learn the three different types of content that can help you when starting out, as well as how and when to use them effectively.

Understanding What and When

To establish consistency and quality, content should come in a variety of short form posts, long form articles, and video pieces. Each of these styles add value to your brand in different ways. This guide will help you understand the basics of each format.

Short Form

Short form posts are an easy way to build your voice. They are baby steps to becoming an influencer. These posts should be shared consistently and establish your name as a continuing presence. Consider sharing what you have been reading, or responding to news and current industry events. You should aim to post at least four pieces of content in the short form within each month. Remember that these can be as simple as one to two line statements in reference to something. Establishing a weekly content cadence is a great way to keep your voice in the conversation, and provide a quick way to engage your following. Take a look at how Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes quickly engages with his network in a short form post.

Long Form

Once people recognize your voice, they will want to hear what you have to say. Long form posts will take more time and effort because they offer a chance for you to analyze a relevant industry topic in-depth and express your personal thoughts on the matter. These articles should stay between 600 – 1000 words and should be published at least once a month. Long form posts provide your readers with a better understanding of your stance on important issues in the field, and should aim to create conversations both in the comments, and through others sharing the post. Here, Katie Martell is able to share her marketing insights with her followers.

Video Form

Creating content in the video format is a great way to mix up your feed and capture the attention of a scrolling consumer. Consider hosting an interview with a colleague or featuring a demonstration of something that has helped you in your career. When producing video content, make sure to hook your users early and remember to be yourself. These videos should be anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes long. You can think of video as an alternative, or as a compliment to the longer articles, as long as your community is engaging with your higher-level content on a monthly basis. Check out how Bill Gates is able to provide fresh video content that captures attention quickly.